On The Verge
by PinkRoses95
Summary: Dying so young was never part of my plan; being born again with my memories in tact in a fictional world sounded crazy. Yet, it happened to me along with a million other things I had no idea how to deal with. Sometimes, I wonder if fate is having a good laugh behind my back... OC/ SI Team Minato
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto**

**Warning: Death, blood, OC**

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**On the Verge**

_**Of Death**_

It was a Saturday afternoon; I was in my room reading a love story on my bed. After the stress of finals I was looking forward to summer break which officially started from today. My parents were out running some errands while I lazed around in my room. Next year I would be a senior and then goodbye high school. Having studied quite a lot the whole week and staying up all night watching movies yesterday, I naturally felt sleepy. Deciding to take a short nap, I set my book aside and closed my eyes.

I woke up when the heat was too much to bear. There was a lot of noise everywhere, I felt like someone was smothering me with a pillow, cutting off my air supply. I opened my eyes but there was fire everywhere; my once light pink room was engulfed in flames from all sides. My books on the shelves were in smithereens. My last memory was looking up to see the roof falling in pieces before my vision turned black.

.

.

.

.

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The next thing I remember is being held by soft, warm hands of that of my mother, my new mother. She was always there for the first three years of my life while my father was rarely home. When he did come home he showered all his love on us. All that I knew of him was that he was fighting for our village and he too wore a leaf headband. I had a hunch that I was not in the real/ normal world. Having overwhelming memories, talking about very different things was why I was named Yumeko; the dream child; apparently I was named by my uncle who I was yet to meet. Whenever I said something from my old world, the adults either laughed it off as creative thinking or reprimanded for being so annoying. There wasn't any children I was friends with

I spent the time playing by myself or be with my mother as she gathered herbs to brew medicines. I probably knew most of the plant species in Konoha and how to use them. This life was dull, I suppose. Not allowed to go outside the compound unsupervised, I only talked to my clan members most of who adored me for being the only girl child for them to place all diplomatic hopes on. Being more mature and observant than most, I knew I was going to be a political pawn and a bargaining chip in the form of a 'wife' when the time came. I was not going let that happen, that I was sure of. I also knew that my father had the same idea as me when it came to the issue. He was discretely giving me little training in combat; the things they taught in the academy, just in case I needed it.

By the time I turned six years old, I learned everything about the local herbs (I wasn't allowed to touch them of course), how to put on a kimono, pour tea, tree climbing chakra exercise and how to heal small wounds (courtesy of mother who got to know about my ninja training and made me learn to heal in case she wasn't there). The three of us kept my training a secret from the clan who had voiced several times that I wouldn't be allowed to become a ninja.

Nothing exciting happened for a few more months. Everything was running as it always did until an inter clan dispute broke out. I was not in the know which made me all the more suspicious I was involved. It started small; hostile glances towards my parents, little accidents without proof aimed at my mother inside the house and the like. Even my father wasn't home as much as he used to be what with the clan leader sending him out on dangerous missions all the time. This went on for a few months and one day they went too far.

It was a week from my seventh birthday, I was too sleepy that evening. Mama made me a quick dinner before sending me off to my room. I was woken up by screams belonging to my mother; scared I went outside holding the kunai papa had given me to use in case of emergencies. To my horror, mama was lying on the floor with blood flowing down making a puddle.

"Yumeko… go to my brother, he'll be in the hokage tower… you remember- the biggest bui-lding by the face mountain? Tell him 'the will o-of fir-fire fa-dead in the Mazuka compound' and" she reached into her shirt and gave me a scroll with shaky hands. "give this to him, he'll protect you." Her eyes were unfocused, her breaths labored. "I'll always love you Yumeko, sorry we can't be there anymore. Me and papa love you." She touched my cheek with her blood covered hands before her body stopped moving.

My entire world was falling around me again. I looked at my bloody clothes and shaky bloody hands. Someone in the compound had killed my parents; maybe someone I knew. I also knew they were after me for selfish reasons; I couldn't stay here anymore. I might die if I did, _again. _I'm not going to let that happen. Willing my body to move, I ran; I ran like there was no tomorrow towards the hokage tower to the 'uncle' for the first time.

It registered in the very back of my mind that no one stopped me as I ran the multitude of steps to reach the hokage office. Stumbling and falling a few times, I finally reached the third hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi who looked up from is piles of paperwork, got up to me and asked:

"What happened to you, child?" he knelt before me. I gave him the scroll I was clutching tightly in my hand.

"The will of fire died, no, faded, in the Mazuka compound." I said stuttering. All the tears I had been holding back flowed down freely without stop.

"It's ok Yumeko. No one will hurt you now child, calm down." The hokage tried to reassure me. I controlled my tears which didn't stop but after a few more hiccups, I regained my ability to speak.

"They killed mama, papa dead. Need to find mama's brother." I said in a broken voice.

"Yumeko, I'm your uncle." He said gently but I had seen his face pale when he heard me say they were dead, _dead. _He pored a little chakra and read it in within a minute without betraying any emotion.

"ANBU!" He called. Two masked ninja flickered in not a second later. "Go to the Mazuka clan compound and round up anyone present there, if there's no one station guards. No one is to be allowed there."

We reached what looked like a huge compound similar to ours- no the Mazuka compound. We walked towards the biggest house, with the hokage holding my hand.

"Biwako." He called out, a stern woman appeared. She took in my appearance before her brow raised in question towards her husband.

"This is Yumeko, Kazumi's daughter. She needs a place to stay." He said with a weird look in his eye. The woman- Biwako nodded, not questioning any further.

"Come with me." She said. I followed her into one of the spare rooms. It had a comfortable looking bed, a table and a lamp. She led me towards the bathroom, hidden from the outside view.

"Take a bath. I'll back with some clothes and tea." She said. I nodded meekly. The hot water was comforting the entire fifteen minutes I was in the bath. True to her word, Biwako had laid a shirt and shorts on the bed. I quickly put them on; there was a soft knock and Biwako appeared with a cup of herbal tea.

"Drink this, Yumeko. It'll help you sleep." She said gently, her eyes softened when she looked at me. I assumed she was told what had happened. I felt tears well up in my eyes s I sipped on the tea quietly. She took the cup when I was done; patting my head once she left the room.

So far my life was a cosmic joke. I died a high school senior in 2014, was born in the Narutoverse again, I happy with my little family. Now I was an orphan at almost seven with no idea what was going to happen next. Outside, the sun was beginning to rise as if it were any other normal day…

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**AN: Ok so that's the first chapter of my first story! I recently created an account after reading a lot of fanfics The coolest being OC SI stories… So I thought why not write one myself? Sorry for any typos/ grammar mistakes... **

**So please review so I know what you think… I'm new to this so pls be gentle :3**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto**

**AN: Thanks to everyone who read this story, put it on alerts and favorite's list…**

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**On The Verge**

_**Of Moving Forward**_

The next day, almost evening really, I woke up with a slight throb in my head. It took a few minutes to process the events of last night. I got up to go outside the room when I saw a pale yellow kimono caught my eye. Taking it as a sign to take a shower, I went to the bathroom. A million thoughts ran through my mind, none of them pleasant which only worsened my headache. I would never have another birthday with my parents by my side. Was to wrong wish they were here next week with their usual calming presence? For them to stay with me while I became someone, watch me grow up?

Yes, I needed something else to think of quickly, before I became Sasuke- ish and revenge obsessed. Although, now I can kind have understand him. I wandered outside, noting the huge empty living room. I realised I was being rude but sat on one of the chairs anyway.

"Oh, you're awake!" I heard someone call from behind. It was a boy, probably a couple of years older than me. He didn't very familiar even from what I could remember from my old life. I tilted my head in question, it was not easily possible for anyone to break into the hokage compound.

"I'm Asuma. Your cousin." He said with a little grin. "My mom told me to tell you eat something from the kitchen when you woke up."

"Alright, thanks." I said, quickly getting up. I took a few steps before it occurred to me. "I don't know where the kitchen is." I admitted with my face heating up.

"Sorry. Follow me." Asuma said walking in the complete opposite way. We reached a simple kitchen and Asuma took a plate from a shelf handing it to me. Just realising how hungry I was, I took a huge bite of the tempura. There was an awkward silence. Apparently, Asuma noticed it too.

"How old are? Do you attend the academy?" he asked, probably deciding they were safe subjects.

"I'll be seven, soon. I don't attend the academy. What about you?" I added the last part to get the conversation going.

"I'm nine. I'll be a genin in a few months." He said quite smugly.

"Wow, that's great. Do people already know beforehand when they'll be graduating?" I asked genuinely curious.

"Not really but I failed the exams purposefully the last time because I wanted to graduate with my closest friend who became my classmate now." He explained.

"Your parents let you do that?"

"My father expected it, probably. As for mother, she couldn't believe it, but no one could prove anything." He said leaning against the counter.

"Why would _you _want to do that? I thought people were obsessed with advancing ranks as quickly as possible." I asked, totally confused.

"Well, I kind of want to be in the same team as my friend. There is a higher chance of being in the same team if you become genin together." He said calmly. "Besides, it's all about teamwork; if you don't like your team, the success rate goes out of the window. Only prodigies like Hatake who want solo missions with a mentor or don't mind being in any team want to graduate quickly."

"That's…" I trailed off not knowing what to say. "Wait aren't you worried I might tell someone?"

"My parents already suspect I did it on purpose, my friends know too. So I don't really care." He shrugged. Talk about blasé.

"Is it too difficult for someone with a civilian background?" I asked. I just realised if my- no the _Mazuka_ clan didn't get custody of me… I could probably…

"I guess it depends on how hard you work. I mean, we do have a lot of civilians in our class who get top scores… but I think it's different for everyone."

I was about to ask him something but Biwako entered the kitchen, nodding at my empty plate.

"I see my son has been doing something right for once." She said raising an eyebrow. "How are you feeling, Yumeko?" She asked turning to me.

"I'm feeling better now." I answered honestly. "What's going to happen now?" I asked hesitantly. I needed to know if I was going to have to run away; my plan if I was sent to the Mazuka clan again.

"We'll have to discuss it with Hiruzen." She looked thoughtful. "We can talk about it now or whenever you feel up to it." I nodded, she was giving me a way to post pone the talk which did nothing to erase my fears.

"I want to do it as soon as possible." I said finally.

"Whenever you want." She said.

"Now?" I asked wondering if I was really pushing it. She nodded once.

"I'm going to meet my friends, mom. See you around, Yumeko." Asuma said loudly breaking the tense moment before dashing off.

* * *

We walked in silence the entire 576 steps. I was counting because I could feel a few people's gaze on us as soon as we went outside the compound. We climbed the multitude of steps before reaching the Hokage office. He was hidden behind the mountain of paperwork. If I wasn't so tense, I would have laughed at how silly it looked.

"Ah, Biwako, Yumeko, here already?" He asked standing up. Finally I could see his face.

"Yumeko wanted to know now." Biwako answered for me. I nodded.

"I'm sorry, child but I want to know what you know." The hokage asked looking sorry.

"I know someone from the clan killed mama and papa." I told him everything I knew including who I suspected I heard when I heard mama screaming. The old couple listened to me with serious faces. "I'm not going back to them, right?" I asked, tears flowing down my cheeks.

"You know much more than we do then." The hokage sighed. "Kazumi's scroll only said that they were being treated badly lately and we were to adopt you should something like happen."

"So I don't have to _ever _go back to them?" I asked needing clarification.

"No. actually, the entire clan had left Konoha by the time you reached here. So we have to assume that it was planned." The hokage said sombrely. Suddenly a horrible thought came to me.

"What if they want me? I mean, I was a Mazuka till yesterday. What if they kidnap me?" I knew they would stop at nothing.

"You are a Sarutobi now. We protect our precious people." The hokage declared. "What do you want to do now?"

"Give her time to calm down and think, Hiruzen." Biwako said chastising. "You don't have to give an answer right away, Yumeko."

"Um, I guess, I wanted to join the ninja academy. If it's not too late, I mean." I said, looking down at my shoes.

"To be a kunoichi. Is that what you want?" Biwako asked mildly surprised.

"Papa even taught me a few things if we could somehow convince the clan…" I trailed off, what a joke that turned out to be.

"If you're absolutely sure, I'll enrol you by next week. Let me know if you change your mind."

* * *

The next two days were spent with me helping Biwako with herbs, turns out she was the one who honed my mother's skills too. She was a medic too. Whenever Asuma was home, he would share some funny things that happened at the academy. We got along surprisingly well after the first few awkward hours, especially after he got to know that I was going to attend the academy too.

It was decided that I would go to the academy with Asuma on the first day. He had already told his friends that his "little sister" was joining them. I didn't know who his friends were but I knew I was going to meet some interesting people. What was even more surprising was that, Biwako told me I was probably going to be placed in advanced classes after I told her what was taught to me by papa.

"I thought he was teaching me things we learned according to our ages." I told her. She simply smiled.

Upon arrival, Asuma walked me outside my class, gave me a huge wave before running to his class. I entered the door which was the start of a new chapter in my life as Yumeko Sarutobi, kunoichi.

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**AN: I like writing dialogues. Unedited, sorry for any mistakes **

**A Cookie to anyone who can guess who Asuma's **_**friend **_**is :) **

**Leave a review**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto!**

**AN: Thanks for reading this story :)**

**On The Verge**

_**Of Failure**_

I opened the door of the room assigned for my entrance exam. Even though it was months till the next exam, I was allowed to take it now since mine was a 'special circumstance'. I took a huge breath before sitting down with a bunch of papers. With each question I read, the chances of me passing this test was decreasing. Out of the 55 questions, I barely answered 10. After an hour and a half, the chūnin who was writing something so far, took the papers before reminding me to be here in half an hour for the practical part.

I returned on time after a pep talk where I assured myself it was not the end of the world if I failed; I could try next time or lead a _peaceful_ civilian life, fleeing whenever I _knew_ there was danger. The only consolation was that I was sitting on the swing; the very same swing Naruto usually sat on most of the times he was upset. It was probably my imagination but I did feel a little better afterwards.

* * *

The proctor who was here earlier strode in with another chūnin. I was assuming they were both chūnin because they were wearing the standard Konoha chūnin/ jonin uniform and the ninja who worked at the academy were mostly chūnin.

"I'm Hokuto and this is Touma. We'll test you in taijutsu, ninjutsu and stamina required for the class of your age. Based on that we'll assign the class or tell if you require more time before you can join. Either way, you'll know the results by tomorrow." The new guy, Hokuto drawled.

"If you have any special skills feel free to use them. That may give you plus points." Touma advised. I nodded simply. Special skills, huh. "Follow us to the training ground." We headed to the same place I was before I came back to the class room.

"Alright, taijutsu first." Touma declared without wasting any time. "Come at me with all you've got."

That's how the spar began. With me unable to land a single hit or kick for a long time as he expertly dodged and blocked every attack. I increased my speed with every move which only made him dodge and block faster.

"Time up!" Called Hokuto. They were timing it? I didn't even see the notepad or the stupid clock. My plan of doing incredibly well in the practical part to compensate for the theory part went out of the window. I was panting and frustrated.

"Do you know any of the three academy ninjutsu?" Hokuto questioned me looking disinterested.

"I can do all three!" I said breathlessly although inside I was incredibly angry at the situation.

"Let's see it."

I transformed into Hokuto first. Then created a clone which transformed into Touma who dispersed into a cloud of smoke leaving my bag in its place. I released my Hokuto transformation and stood in my own body. Both of them looked as bored as ever. Meanwhile i had wasted tons of chakra.

"Know any genjutsu?" Hokuto asked looking up from his notepad.

"I can dispel them but can't create them." They both looked at each other and nodded. I was prepared for some genjutsu becoming alert to dispel it at the first sign.

"Anything else you want to show us?" Touma asked glancing at the clock.

"I can heal minor cuts and wounds." Not many could that. Mama always said if you wanted to be a medic you had to learn it while you had less chakra which was easy to control or master perfect chakra control before learning.

Touma bit his index finger drawing some blood holding it out to me. I felt the familiar chakra flowing through my fingers and within a couple of seconds the cut was healed.

"That's all, Yumeko. You'll hear from us tomorrow." Hokuto said with a smile. Aha, an emotion. I did it, I grinned to myself. Even the emotionless Touma was showing a hint of a smirk.

"Thank you." I said with a wave. I skipped out of the academy building towards the hokage tower, the same way I came with Asuma this morning. It was starting to get dark and I somehow ended up in a flower garden. Had I somehow gotten lost? It wouldn't be surprising since I was directionally challenged in my old life. Getting lost on my way to middle school after four years of going to the same place in the school bus being a good example. I looked around for a sign of a road or the Hokage Mountain which was visible from all parts of the village.

The flowers were beautiful. There was a fully bloomed cherry blossom tree a few feet away which was surprising since it was the last day of October. Then it hit me: Genjutsu. Those cheeky... I dispelled it quickly. I was at the academy entrance where it was still sunny. Fuming, I made my way towards the hokage tower- from there I went to the Sarutobi compound easily. Without getting lost.

I headed to my room, threw my clothes in hamper and jumped into the shower letting the hot water sooth my tiredness and anger. I put on a green kimono that reached my feet and examined myself in the mirror. My long dark brown hair looked black still wet from the shower while my caramel eyes looked tired. My stomach growled reminding me I hadn't eaten lunch yet. With that, I went to the kitchen where Biwako was preparing a plate already. We sat in silence as I ate the delicious meal. We sat down to separate the leaves, stems and flowers of some herbs from the garden. It was then I told her all about the test. She listened patiently as we grouped precise amount of ingredients. She let out a chuckle when I finished.

"I'm home." Asuma called from the doorway. "Welcome back!" I yelled running out, vindictively pleased that both actions would have led to many members of the Mazuka clan to die of shock.

"I figured the test wouldn't be this long so I just returned home." Asuma said running to his room to throw the bag and weapons pouch. Apparently all of his friends were busy today with their family and stuff so he was home on this rare day. We spent the rest of the evening talking about random things helping Biwako with her medicines. Biwako and I _tried_ to teach Asuma who simply called them all and left huffing.

* * *

The next day, I hung around in the compound and met a few people who were really friendly. The one I liked most was Hikari Sarutobi, a woman in her early twenties had a year old son named Takeru, who was the cutest baby I had ever seen. I saw Asuma come into the compound from Hikari's house and waved at him. I told Hikari I was leaving and blew a kiss at little Takeru who was _cutely_ taking a nap.

Asuma went straight to his room to _throw _his bag again.

"There's this new dango shop that's opening today and my friends want to go. Want to come too?" Asuma asked me. I agreed happily. We told Biwako where we were going who nodded handing Asuma some money.

"Take this and be careful you two." Biwako said. "Also, Yumeko, go to the hokage tower. You'll get to know the results." She said with a small smile. Asuma agreed in a better mood than me.

With an encouraging smile from Asuma, I opened the door with my heartbeat ringing in my ears. Hokuto and Touma were standing with the hokage who all looked expressionless, doing nothing to ease my nerves.

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**AN: That's all for now. One more chapter before the actual story starts i.e., the genin days. Thanks to everyone who read, review, add to favorites and alerts :)**

**Thank u **_**Fox Kit Princess **_**for both the reviews :) **

**Edited by me and Word, sorry for any typos or grammar mistakes. Especially prepositions; we've been at war for years! I gotta find me a beta :o**

**~Review **


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. Just the characters you don't recognize!**

**AN: Thank you for reading this story, reviewing, adding to alerts and favorites. I apologize for any mistakes; feel free to correct me.**

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**On The Verge**

_**Of Accomplishment**_

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in his chair smoking a pipe in deep thought. The last few days had been unexpectedly sad. His sister's death was shocking, the investigating troop was uncovering some unusual things. Even though there was a fifteen year difference between the siblings, Hiruzen and Kazumi were quite close in their youth. After she had married the heir of Mazuka clan, Hitoshi, there had been significantly less contact between the siblings though they lived in the same village. The Mazuka clan was a very prominant, albeit a very old fashioned clan in Konoha. The clan was very traditional, opposing any and every modern development the village was implementing. Hitoshi was the exception; he was a splendid jonin who had found a balance between his family and duty.

The unhappy clan was looking for a way to make the couple get on board with their plans when little Yumeko was born. They had apparently decided she would become the ticket needed to get the young couple to obey them. She was being molded into the perfect pawn the clan had imagined for the game they wanted to play.

From the many journals ANBU had found, most of them were Kazumi's who had always written everything so she wouldn't forget, the clan had been against Konoha and was planning on defecting to another village soon. This was openly opposed by Hitoshi and Kazumi which led to their shunning. The couple didn't think they would go as far as to kill them. Hitoshi was killed on a mission Hiruzen hadn't sent him on while Kazumi was killed in her own house.

The ANBU sent to the Mazuka compound after Yumeko's arrival had found a young newly promoted chūnin with a bloody kunai in his hand. The other members had fled Konoha offering him as a scapegoat; they knew politics very well. When the T&I searched for his memories it was found that his brain was dissolved. Hiruzen looked at the investigation reports again for a sign that would open up any new leads but for now Konoha had lost a powerful clan or as everything was pointing to: a clan of _traitors. _It was then a knock interrupted Hiruzen's thoughts.

Touma Ayuzawa and Hokuto Yamada entered the office with a bunch of papers giving a respectful bow. Both highly professional chūnin, with the former to be promoted to jonin any day, were to oversee Yumeko's entrance exam. Hokuto was a well known academy teacher while Touma volunteered sometimes due to respect for his late mother's occupation. Hiruzen had already informed them of her training background and had ordered them to test her in all years of the academy curriculum. It would be interesting to hear what they had found. He nodded for them to speak.

"The candidate only answered eight of the seventy questions correctly in the theory part." Touma informed.

"It was to be expected given her lack of formal education. But she has high practical skills to make up for it." Hokuto added.

"What do you think we should do now? Are her fighting skills enough to enter the academy or does she need to retake the test next time?" Hiruzen asked.

"Not selecting her would be a waste of good talent." Touma stated.

"It's true, Lord Hokage. She shows very promising skills." Hokuto said.

"What's her level?" Hiruzen questioned.

"Average genin." Hokuto answered.

"Hmm, an interesting situation." Hiruzen mused.

"If I may suggest something, Lord Hokage?" Touma requested.

"Of course, Touma."

"Why not put her in the graduating class and make her focus more on the academics?" Touma suggested.

"Yes. It would give her time to study and it will depend on her whether or not she ultimately passes." Hokuto said.

"This idea has merit. Why not-" Hiruzen was speaking when there was a knock on the door.

* * *

**First Person POV**

"So you'll be in my class from Monday but have to _study _all years' books in order to catch up?" Asuma asked as we walked towards the dango shop.

"Something like that; but I passed." I repeated. There was a huge line from the shop and I stood at the end when Asuma stopped me.

"My friends would have saved a table, let's go." Asuma said with amusement.

"But there's a huge line. These people have probably stood here for hours." I observed.

"We have bit of a dango enthusiast in our group. She skipped classes today to be the first in line." Asuma admitted looking for his friends. There was a loud 'YOSH' and Asuma expertly dragged me towards the source.

"Yumeko these are my friends." Asuma informed me much to my shock. I was looking at the younger versions of some of the main Naruto characters. I tried really hard not to squeal when Guy, Genma, Kurenai and Anko were introduced and succeeded much to my delight but no one could bring me from my high tonight.

The group attracted too much attention with their loudness but couldn't care less. They were constantly teasing Asuma and Kurenai and watching them turn very interesting shades of red was very amusing. Genma commented on their closeness at unexpected times causing us to either choke or burst out laughing. Sometime later, all attention was focused on Anko and her dango addiction which we all joined. The evening passed with much laughter and sweet dango.

For the first time in this life, I had friends who I could talk to and who included me in return. When they got to know I would be joining their class in a few days, everyone eagerly gave their opinion on the teachers and some of the students interrupting each other. All in all, it was fun and funny.

* * *

I did not inform any one of my birthday which was the very next day after my parents' funeral. It felt wrong to celebrate at such a sad time and without them. I was very excited for my very first academy class. I had purchased efficient clothes which consisted of a dark blue sleeveless kimono dress that reached my knee with slits on both sides and a pair of shorts underneath.

Much to my surprise, Hokuto was this class' sensei who made me introduce myself in front of the whole class before starting his lessons on the first day. Halfway through the lesson, Obito made his appearance and no one looked surprised seeing his sheepish expression. Hokuto- sensei looked exasperated before letting him enter.

The next few months I spent at the academy were very scheduled. Attend the academy with Asuma, spend lunch with his friends, come home, run to the library with Anko who was a nerd (which came as huge surprise since she was very much like Naruto in the anime but she was surprisingly shy and insecure), join the group whereever they hung out that day, come home completely exhausted but very happy.

I was surprised to be one of the best at practicals so the afternoon classes were my favorite. Asuma's friends or 'our group' as I referred to in my head, were initially surprised to see me fight well but then accepted it. Obito was late _everyday _and his excused were little hard to believe if you didn't know it was the truth. Genma and Guy were total opposites; it was really shocking to see Guy in his 'youthful' mode which was in its initial stages but still funny. Especially when Genma sarcastically commented on it and Guy took it as compliments. Since Asuma and Kurenai were the text book definition of _just friends, _I hung out with Guy and Genma. Anko was rarely seen lately except for the occasional dango indulgence; rest of the time she was found in the Konoha general library. We tried to get her to hang out with us but gave up after a month.

All too soon, the graduation exam was right around the corner. I had long since caught up with the academics and was actually looking forward to the exam. I was just as anxious as the group that we all were going to be separated. Asuma and Kurenai were having it the hardest since Asuma had failed the last time to be with her and now he was afraid they wouldn't be in the same team while Kurenai was not confident that she would actually pass. I tried to assure them that they would do fine but neither were ready to listen.

* * *

The day after the test all of us were happy to see that we had passed. It was a very happy Hokuto- sensei who arrived in a room full of nerves and excitement.

"I'm very proud of you all. You will be the ones to represent and defend the village. You all possess the will of fire; make sure it always burns bright."

"It's probably from my old man." Asuma whispered to us.

"It is very youthful." Guy commented loudly in a whisper.

"Now the teams." Hokuto sensei said, getting absolute silence. "Team One will consist of..." And finally "Team Seven Obito Uchiha and Yumeko Sarutobi with a previous graduate." THE HELL?! I ignored Obito's 'Alright' and the group's congratulations.

"Team Eight Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yūhi and Shiro Nara."

"Team Ten Guy Might, Genma Shiranui and Rin Nohara."

"You'll meet with your senseis in the rooms allotted to you after lunch. The list is on the notice board. Once again, congratulations." Hokuto left the room amidst the excitement.

We all had a huge lunch to mark our last day together at the academy. While the four of them had at least one other they were worried I would be left alone. I was touched by the genuine worry they showed; especially after they saw that I would be teamed with Kakashi Hatake.

"I could write a horror story based on him." Genma.

"He is my most hip and cool rival but is very unyouthful." Guy.

"Be careful." Kurenai.

"If they give you any trouble, we'll deal with them." Asuma.

Actually he had grown over protective after an incident with a bully from class. With a last goodbye we all headed to the allotted rooms.

Fifteen minutes later I was sitting alone waiting for anyone to show up. I had seen on the list that Anko was on a team led by Orochimaru. Thinking, there was a Naruto marathon going on in my head. I was going to be in the middle of a war watching many I was close to _die; I _could die. Right now, the safe civilian life was more and more appealing.

* * *

**AN: Was this too long? Things get interesting from now on. I hope you liked this chapter. I know the teams are all messed up; I wanted it that way! I only intended to write a couple of paragraphs in the beginning but I just kept typing and liked it...**

**Next up: Meeting the team and the introduction of a very interesting character who doesn't appear in canon but we all know he was there :) Guess who?**

** Let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto**

**AN: Thank you for reading this story, adding to favorites and alerts. It means a lot to me :) **

**The reason I haven't updated for such a long time is because as soon as my exams got over the next sem started without a single day off :(**

_**:Mind Talk:**_

* * *

**On The Verge**

A few minutes later I was starting to think that maybe I was waiting in the wrong place; maybe they forgot I was in the team; maybe something horrible happened and everyone was unable to make it here; maybe

_**:Maybe you should stop thinking so negatively:**_

I swiftly took out my kunai gripping it pointing upwards prepaing for an attack.

"Who's there?" I called out trying to check who was speaking. Or maybe this was just a test to become genin.

_**:Calm down, child. I will not cause you any harm: **_

I heard the voice again. It was feminine and soft; at the same time firm and powerful.

"Who are you?" I asked trying to calm myself. "Where are you?"

_**:I am inside your mind. We will have to talk about whos and whys another time, I sense others approaching:**_

Did I have some sort of mental illness? Dear God, I can hear voices in my head that I don't know of. I wonder if this woman is one of my imaginary friends I used to create when I was younger.

_**:Stop thinking for I can hear everything you do:**_

I was able to swallow my scream; but the door slid open. I did scream then. Loudly.

"I'm sorry we didn't mean to startle you." I heard a gentle voice say from the door.

Minato and Kakashi walked inside as I tried to calm my heart down. It wasn't working in the slightest. How can anyone be calm when a kid Kakashi is standing ten feet away fron them with an equally awesome Minato ruffling his spiky blond hair sheepishly?

"It's ok." I squeaked. Kakashi was glaring at an unidentifyable object; he gave me a very _unimpressed _look before resuming his glaring.

"Where's our other team member?" Minato asked curiosly.

"He's usually late but will probably be here soon." I said. I hoped that was the case and he would be showing up soon.

"Sensei I told you that Uchiha was notoriously late for everything." Kakashi said.

Minato took a peice of chalk and wrote "**Obito, team meeting in the grounds"** on the that was nice of him. Kakashi huffed obviously not happy.

"Let's go." Minato said.

"Let's start by introducing ourselves." Minato said casuallly leaning against a huge tree while Kakashi and I sat on rocks.

"To make it easier, I'll go fisrt." He said with a chuckle at our expressions, no doubt. "I'm Minato Namikaze, I like good homemade food and this village. I dislike dishonest people and anyone who harms my comrades. My hobies are cooking and reading. My goal is to one day be the Hokage of this village and protect my precious people." Minato finished wih a smile. He looked really cool; Kakashi was pretending to be bored but his eyes were shining with admiration.

"I'm Kakashi Hatake." Kakashi started with a bored tone when Minato told him it was his turn. "I hate people who neglect the shinobi rules and are not prepared to face consequences for their actions. I hate useless people and sweet food." I wasn't be sure but I could swear Kakashi's eyes darted to me briefly when he said 'useless'. "My hobies are trainig and learning new things and my ambition is to be an extremely strong shinobi."

I suppose Kakashi had some weird notions at this point. He looked tough and cold even at the age of nine. Minato frowned a bit but looked at me to proceed.

"I'm Yumeko Sarutobi. I like sweet things and hanging out with my friends. I dslike people who judge too quickly," I glanced at Kakashi briefly, "and being helpless. My hobies are reading and gardening. My goal is to-" I paused not really knowing what to say."be a storng kunoichi, I guess." I finished lamely.

Minato simply gave a reassuring look before smiling broadly.

"It looks like the final member has decided to join us at last." Minato informed. A second later, a dishelved Obito yelled "Am I too late?"

"You did miss quite a few things about your possible new team." Minato said thoughtfully. "Although if you keep this up it will be difficult for you in the future so do try to be on time." Minato warned.

"Possible team? Missed?" Obito asked confused.

"We already introduced ourselves. It's your turn." Minato answered.

"I'm going to be Hokage." Obito declared pompously. "I'm Obito Uchiha. When my face is carved on the mountain my trademark goggles and Sharingan will be epic so that I can scare all enemies with my mega glare."

Kakashi looked exasperated but Obito wasn't done yet. "Everyone will be super scared of my sharingan stare and no one will ever dare to attack Konoha again." Obito pumped his fist in excitement.

"Save it for after you become hokage and activate your Sharingan." Kakashi said annoyed. "How can your Sharingan be carved on the mountain if you're wearing goggles, anyway?" Retorted kakashi.

"They can carve it over my goggles." Was Obito's comeback with hesitation.

"That will make it look like your eyeballs are falling off." Kakashi bit out.

I giggled imagining that. This was going to be fun. Even Minato- sensei was amused as he held back laughter at the boys' banter. Apparantly he decided to put an end to it.

"I'm glad someone else in the team shares my dream of becoming hokage." Minato- sensei said with a warm smile. "I'm Minato and I'll be your superior. Nice to meet you."

Obito gave his signature pose and I could practically feel Obito's admiration of Minato going up. We headed over to the training ground with the three posts.

* * *

"Alright. It's time for us to have our first team practise." Minato said catching all our attention. "Today we are going to test your teamwork."

That confused me. Wasn't one of the rules you had to skip breakfast and arrive ridiculously early while the sensei makes you wait for al long time? Or was it one of Kakashi's own twist to the original test? My gaze involuntarily shifted to Kakashi who was glaring at us both and I looked down blushing. How can a nine year old have such a strong glare?

Minato held out two bells. "You are supposed to take at least one of the bells from me." Kakashi's eyes widened while Obito looked clueless.

"There are only two bells." Kakashi said with understanding.

"So what?" Obito asked adorably confused, not getting the point.

"That means only two of us will be in the team." Kakashi explained with mild disbelief.

"You're already a chunin, so Yumeko and I get the bells and we're all a team." Obito said with a glint in his eyes as though he had solved all problems in the world. That was a good point. Come to think of it, wasn't Kakashi a chunin at six years, why did he take the exam again?

"I'm a chunin in rank only." Kakashi hurriedly said somewhat embarrased, so hard to tell with the mask covering his face. "Besides you never question a superior's order: Rule 3"

"In rank only?" I blurted out not understanding. Apparantly neither did Obito, so he turned to Minato who was looking at us nostalgically.

"Kakashi isn't an official chunin but he can carry out chunin rank missions if his mentor approves." Minato clarified. Kakashi gave his mentor a betrayed look.

"So yes. Only two of us are going to be in the team." Kakashi said again glaring at Obito who glared back. Just like that their infamous _bond _of rivalry was formed while watched them like a gromless idiot.

"Let's start." Minato said on guard. No sooner had he said that, kakashi was lunging at full speed directly aiming for the bell in Minato's had, missing it by a few inches.

Not wanting to waste any time Obito ran towards Minato with kicks and pucnhes which were easily dodged. When Obito was through Kakashi took the opening and when Kakashi was down Obito took the chance. Minato dodged them like a pro never once caught in the slightest. What was most impressive was that Minato never once lost the smile in place.

This went on for a couple of hours and I had never once moved from my place by the posts. Both boys were panting and looked tired. They were still determined running towards Minato again. They failed yet again to get the jonin. Finally Kakashi's gaze fell to me and glared.

"If you're not going to participate then tell us so we can both get the bells if you want to go back to the _academy_." Kakashi spat the last word as though it was a curse.

"Don't talk to her like that." Obito scolded Kakashi and turned to me. "You do want to be a genin right?" Obito asked after a moment of thought.

"Minato sensei is too strong." I stated the obvious. They both looked at me confused.

"Oh and what would you know? It's not like you're even trying." Kakashi snarled. "I don't know why little girls like you who don't even want to fight join the academy and actaully pass."

"You were younger than me when you became genin." I reminded him angrily.

"Yumeko was one of the top scorers in this year's class." Obito defended me. I didn't know he knew that but it was sweet I guess.

"With losers like you in the same class even a dog can be a top scorer." Kakashi said frustrated.

"That's just insulting to all the Inazuka." I muttered. Apparently they heard if Obito's laughter was any indication. They both looked tired with scrapes all over their body.

"Are you scared you'll be injured and have to run home crying?" Kakashi asked angrily. I knew he was angry at the situation and was taking it out on Obito and me- but it didn't hurt any less.

"Stop doing that." Obito yelled glaring at Kakashi. "Yumeko, do you have a plan to get the bells?" Obito asked with curiousity.

"Not alone, no." I sighed. Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

"Oh you were just planning on using us to tire out sensei and then get a bell, I presume." Kakashi said with a scary look.

"Of course not." I yelled furiously. How could he even think that? Even Obito was looking at me with wide eyes.

"Then how?" Obito asked slightly relieved. Minato sensei was looking at us with a frown. His clear blue eyes disappointed.

"Not one of us can match him alone." I said cautiously.

"Yes we know he's too strong. _We _fought him." Kakashi said impatiently.

"Together we have a better chance." I finished ignoring his remark. Kakashi's eyes widened in understanding and Obito looked hopeful.

"Alright." Kakashi said with a nod regaining his footing. "Formation A we learned at the academy." He instructed with determination.

"Will a simple formation like that even work on Minato sensei?" Obito questioned incredulously.

"Just do as I say." Ordered Kakashi.

The three of us circled around Minato leaving him no chance of escape. As we increased the speed Minato looked almost proud. Obviously he could have teleported away whenever he wanted to but he was giving us a chance to pass.

When the formation was complete, they both nodded at me to take him on at the first chance. I was surprised but I guessed it was because I was the only one with full reserves. I easily snatched both the bells from a smirking Minato; he practically gave them away.

Obito cheered loudly as I gave him one of the bells while I walked over to Kakashi to hand him the other one. They both looked surprised at my actions.

"Yumeko don't you really want to be in the team?" Obito asked worriedly even a little hurt.

Well that was awkward. Kakashi face palmed.

"Well we are supposed to be a team. Friends help each other." I told him blushing.

"Well done everyone." Minato said with happiness. He still looked like he hardly broke a sweat. "You found the meaning of teamwork; although it was very unconventional." He added sheepishly.

"Oh teamwork!" Exclaimed Obito like he was struck by lightning.

"When did you figure it out?" Kakashi asked me.

"Um when Minato sensei said 'Today we are going to test your teamwork' earlier?" I tried being haughty but failed badly when it came out as a question. I was too happy to care.

"You knew it all along?" Kakashi questioned with cold look.

"And you didn't tell us?" Obito asked with a hurt look. Somehow that was hurting me more than Kakashi's glare.

"You didn't give a chance to explain." I defended myself. To my relief they both looked away sheepishly.

"Let's go get dinner to celebrate our success as a team." Minato declared with a bright smile. "My treat."

Obito and I cheered loudly, even Kakashi looked pleased.

Somehow I had a feeling that everything was not going to be ripped apart. I was going to enjoy what little time I had in this world and protect everyone to the best of my ability.

* * *

**AN: Was that too long? I kept typing and the next thing I know it was almost two hours and seven pages. **

**Hope you enjoyed it! Ignore any mistakes; I need to look for a beta reader!**

**Let me know what you think :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters of Naruto. **

**AN: Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, added to favorites and alerts. It means a lot to me. I'll try to add more details here. Also if anyone noticed the wrong complex in chapter 4 it's been corrected XD Thanks 4everfictional :)**

* * *

**On The Verge**

_**Of Growing Up**_

The next morning I reached the training field Minato- sensei had told us to assemble at. I was surprised to find Kakashi already waiting since I thought I was early. It looked like he had already trained if the fresh scratches and bruises were any indication. My hands itched to heal them but I didn't want to offend him by asking. We waited in silence while I mentally counted the seconds in my head.

A few minutes later, Kakashi started some training on his own. He found one of the biggest trees nearby which had no leaves. He glanced at it for sometime before he started to land continuous blows to the huge trunk with open palms. It took me a minute to notice his hands were infused with chakra and that his hands didn't come in contact with the trunk. Instead it appeared as though he was trying to destroy the tree from the inside.

If I remembered the picture in one of the chakra control books I had read, the exercise is to perfect chakra control for A- level jutsus. I wondered if Kakashi had reached jonin level at such a young age. I was startled by the crack of the tree and Kakashi's frustrated groan. The inside part of the wood was completely hollow; there was barely a couple of inches left. There was another crack and a cloud of sawdust had me coughing while Kakashi's mask protected him. Ugh.

"You know it's really an advanced technique?" I asked once I was over my coughing fit. He only looked at me once before glaring at the tree.

"Only skilled chunin and jonin are able to master it." I tried again. This time he just glared at me.

* * *

I tried trying to talk but obviously he wasn't interested. I sighed. I could train too I supposed. But it would be incredibly awkward with him at watching distance. Urk. I knew I should have brought a book. A few more minutes passed in silence. Make that _awkward_ silence. He took a book from his pocket and started reading it leaning against a tree. Obito was always late but...

"Um, is Minato- sensei usually late?" I asked.

"No, this is the first time he's been late without notice." Kakashi said without looking at me.

"Do you think we heard the time wrong?" I wondered out loud.

"I'm here too aren't I." He muttered.

"Um wrong place?"

"Don't be silly. Both of us can't get the same things wrong." He snapped.

"What if he doesn't come?" I asked just to get him to keep talking.

"He will." He said confidently.

"What if-" I couldn't finish. "If he doesn't come in a few minutes I'll go look for him." He snapped again.

"Can I come too?" No way was I waiting here alone.

"Why?" He asked gritting his teeth. Great, now I was either pissing him off or annoying him.

"I don't want to wait here alone...?"

"Obito will probably show up soon, so, no." He flipped the page. Hurry up, Obito!

"Do you have a book I can borrow?" I asked after he turned two more pages.

"No." Well great. Now I had find something that would interest him as well as pass my time.

"Do you, maybe, want to spar?" I ask hoping he would agree. I mean ninja never refuse to spar, right? He looked at me raising an eye brow reluctantly nodding once. Score!

We both regarded each other as we took the basic fighting stance then simultaneously sprang to attack. Kakashi was faster than me almost hitting my face but I quickly blocked it with my fist. He didn't give me time to move instead choosing to throw a punch, again I blocked it with my other hand. There was a series of punches that were hard to block but I managed. This was how my first _spar _went. Dodge. Block. Block. Dodge. Dodge. Block.

Inside, I was cursing myself for being so stupid. It was beyond stupid to challenge someone obviously more powerful than me. Fine, I decided, if I could not get a hit a on him I would not let him hit me either. So I continued to dodge and block as much as possible.

A few minutes later both of us broke apart. I was gasping for air. A quick look at Kakashi showed him panting too. I started healing the little scratches I had gotten while blocking Kakashi's strong punches. The familiar glow of green chakra erased all signs of injury in ten seconds. I made a quick note in my brain to buy some battle gloves in the evening.

"You know medical ninjutsu?" Kakashi asked with a hint of curiosity.

"Yeah, I can heal your cuts if you want to." I replied.

"I guess." And so I did. Almost half a minute later, he was as good as new.

"Impressive fight, you two." Minato- sensei said from behind a tree.

"Just thought to train while _waiting _for you." Kakashi said with a hint of annoyance and disapproval. "Since you were _late_."

"You must learn to be patient sooner or later." Minato- sensei chided.

"According to Ninja Handboo-" Kakashi started to be cut off by Minato "It's not _always_ a good thing to follow the rules as I have told you many times, Kakashi." Sensing an argument I thought it best to change the subject.

"It's just we were worried we had the time or place wrong..?" That sounded silly to my own ears. Kakashi cleared his throat.

"_I_ knew you would come but you are never late without notice."

"If you had gone home last night instead of training, you would have found a note on your bed with the right timing and to inform Yumeko and Obito of the same." Minato- sensei told Kakashi sternly.

Kakashi didn't say anything just looked away embarrassed. But Minato- sensei wasn't finished. "Do I have to have another talk about your sleeping and eating habits?"

"Sorry I'm late!" Obito shouted from a few feet away as he ran towards the clearing. Minato- sensei sighed.

"Okay this will be easy now that all of you are here." Minato said motioning us to sit on the ground while he leaned against a tree.

"Starting today we are a team. A family. Even though you are considered adults in the society there is a limit to your responsibilities. We will have that talk when the time comes. I want you to eat as much as required, no skipping meals from today. Also under no circumstances are you allowed to diet unless stated by a medic. Also get adequate rest. You will have your own bank account from tomorrow and I was there to be at at least a quarter of your pay per week saved in case of emergencies.

"Obito you must learn to be on time. Kakashi no looking down on your team. Yumeko learn to get along with both your teammates. If you have any concerns, no matter what the subject, you are always welcome to talk to me." Minato- sensei finished with a sheepish smile that was the exact opposite of the serious expression he had on a second ago.

The three of us looked at each other after a nod.

* * *

"Today we will be working on your individual skills." Minato sensei gave us a blank sheet each and a wooden ink stick. "One of you will fight me while the other two will write down your strengths and weaknesses. Come at me with everything you've got. Understood?" He waited till we all said yes. "We'll start with Obito."

I was somewhat familiar with Obito's skills as we had taijutsu spars frequently at the academy. But this was a different kind of exercise. Obito had average taijutsu but wasn't fast enough. Minato- sensei was blocking his attack at the last moment, no doubt giving us time to analyze. When Obito wasn't fast enough to dodge, Minato- sensei aimed for either his arms or legs. Obito once tried a fire style jutsu but only produced some smoke and ended up in a coughing fit.

Kakashi was furiously writing and gave a snort at Obito's choking. With a glare at Kakashi he started running away at impressive speed. Minato looked confused for a moment before chasing after him. Obito haphazardly changed directions at random moments. I was getting dizzy from trying to keep an eye on him. He aimed his hit in the most unexpected time that was clearly unpredictable.

"Alright your half hour is up." Minato sensei said flickering in front of Obito and keeping him in a headlock. "You knew all along what I was doing. No fair." Obito protested. Minato chuckled as Obito grumbled all the way taking his paper and pen.

"Yumeko, your turn." Minato stood in the center. I walked over to him thinking. Clearly I couldn't do the 'dodge and block' trick I used against Kakashi. I threw a punch first which as easily dodged, then a kick which that didn't even come in contact with his body. I launched the combination of attack with more speed with each attempt. He easily blocked them all using just one hand.

Minutes felt like eternity and I wished I could do some cool ninjutsu or any cool attack like in a video game or a TV show which would make things interesting. But since taijutsu was all I could use at the moment, I did the best I could with it. If I could keep his hands and legs busy he shouldn't be able to touch me unless he used a more serious approach which wouldn't let the other two to assess the fight properly. After all that was the purpose of this exercise. After some time, I was starting to slow down as my speed dropped. Then it occurred to me that I was doing exactly what Kakashi did while we sparred earlier.

"Ok Time's up." Minato- sensei declared not even out of breath. Breathing heavily I sat down with my paper and pen back in my hands. Before Minato- sensei called on him Kakashi was ready and went to the middle of the clearing.

As expected Kakashi was better than us in terms of speed, strength and jutsu repertoire. His skills were impressive but Minato- sensei was stronger, much to Obito's and my relief. Minato could read each move Kakashi was going to make and countered it expertly making sure we could see what he was doing. My eyes were glued to the fight and a sidewise glance at Obito told me he was just as impressed as I was.

All too soon the match was over. "You were holding out on me all this time." Kakashi accused Minato- sensei who only gave a small grin and a wink at us. Gah, he brings a whole new meaning to the word 'cool' was all I could think.

"That's all for today. Have some lunch and think about where you need to improve when compared to your team and learn what you can do to make up for your mistakes." Minato- sensei said. "Assemble outside the Hokage tower at nine. Obito don't be late we are taking our first mission tomorrow. Bring your own lunch box or the boxed lunch at the Shinobi Mess. We'll train after the mission is completed. See you then." Minato vanished with a flicker. Kakashi gave us nod before leaving.

"Yumeko, you know Guy and Genma right?" Obito asked quietly.

"Yeah they are my friends." I replied not knowing why he was asking that.

"You know Rin?" Obito's face was hopeful. Right. Rin was in Guy and Genma's team. Obito was in lo-

"That intelligent girl in our class?" I said. It wasn't a lie, she was one of the top scorers. "I don't really know her but she was my taijutsu partner in one or two classes."

"I guess we better go huh." Obito said with a half smile. "See you tomorrow." Obito lived in the Uchiha compound on the other side of the village from the Hokage compound.

"Bye." I waved watching Obito run deep into the forest before heading out.

* * *

Surprisingly Biwako was home this afternoon. I had my lunch and helped Biwako with separating the plants she had collected. We put whatever part was useful in one bundle and the rest aside. We put all the herbs in a glass bottle and labeled them. By the time we were done, Asuma returned home. Dripping wet.

They had their first mission. Asuma gave me rundown of the whole thing but not before rubbing it in my face that he had done his mission before me. The mission was to weed a garden of the local florist. Apparently he and his teammate thought it was a 'sissy job' till their sensei and Kurenai reminded them that these missions were taken by even the elite ninja when they were genin. Grudgingly they had completed it and then the hose was brought out. Asuma and Shiro (his teammate) got more water onto themselves than the garden. We both laughed at that and glanced at our garden hose but Biwako's throat clearing alerted us that she not only heard everything but also not even think about hosing ourselves. It was curious she too had a small smile.

After dinner I mentally prepared for Minato- sensei's assignment. With a plan ready, I fell asleep within minutes.

* * *

The next morning I had a full breakfast and prepared my own lunch box. Kakashi and Minato were already waiting outside the gates. To our surprise Obito was only ten minutes late. He had apparently left his house an hour early.

Our first mission was a baby sitting mission. The father, a merchant had to meet someine in the next town but his son was sick and couldn't go to school. So we get to take care of the sick three year old and the father was rich enough to afford a genin team to keep his son safe from his business rivals for _five _hours.

Needless to say it was horrible. The kid, Eiji, puked on Obito who cried. He had an _accident _while Kakashi was holding him. Let's just say, Kakashi was glad to have backup masks. He wouldn't drink the soup I made, it was chicken soup, the ultimate fever remedy but no. The soup was fed to _my_ hair. At one time, I asked if I could heal his fever and give the herbs I always carried in case of emergencies; but no. That would be against the mission objective: Take Care of My **Sick** Child.

We had an elaborate plan where Kakashi would distract Minato- sensei while Obito stood on guard as I healed Eiji without disruptions. We wept in relief along with the kid when the client arrived. We got half an hour to go home and freshen up and I invited them to my house which was the closest as Obito lived far away. We all agreed that having children was too bothersome. Even Kakashi voiced his agreement. In short, we were **scarred**.

That afternoon we had one on one spars. Since we had observed yesterday, it was somewhat easy to counter and attack. The problem was the opponent too had the same knowledge. By the end of the day we had all backup fighting methods apart from our usual way.

Exhausted but excited, I gave Asuma a rundown of the whole thing. He got a kick out of it and agreed that pulling out weeds was better. He dramatically sniffed my hair and declared it still stunk. Horrified I took another shower. Biwako tried assuring me that kids weren't that bad but Asuma and I screamed.

The rest of the week went on the same way. We did D- rank missions during the day and trained in the afternoon. So far we had relatively tame missions. Rescuing a lost pet, weeding, cleaning, getting some herbs from the forest etc. Kakashi and Obito had many verbal taunts but didn't get physical. Minato sensei usually mused that he was thankful there wasn't a love triangle with a teasing glance at me which never failed to make me blush. I would huffed and tell the boys to break it up. They would grin sheepishly at me before stopping the argument.

* * *

I was lounging in my bed on a Saturday afternoon. It was my day off. We didn't get the while weekend off like in the academy. Half the Genin had Saturday off and the other had an off on Sunday. Asuma's team had mission today so I was all alone at home after a long time.

Minato- sensei had told he was pleased with our progress and we would be knowing our chakra nature soon. Obito claimed he had an affinity with fire and Kakashi already knew he was a lightning element. I was giddy with anticipation and nerves.

I was lost in my own thoughts when I heard a noise from upstairs. I frowned, no one was to come home till evening. I had set up the front alert seal so whoever was inside _didn't _use the front door like a normal guest. Instantly I was alert. Clutching my kunai I set off to where the noise came from.

My mind was conjuring all sorts of horror movie scenarios. It could be a robber but who in their right mind would want to rob the hokage. Assassins? Could be but there was an ANBU guarding the compound 24/7. Someone from the Mazuka clan? They might want to kill or kidnap me. Why would they so openly attempt it in broad daylight? There was another crash and a curse. Ok, maybe I could takeout whoever the intruder was.

I stood outside the unused room waiting for another sign to know I was in the right place. There was a sound of a box opening and I concluded that there was some sort of treasure in this room because the Hokage's room was right next to this one. The door opened and I instantly attacked whoever came outside.

I didn't get the stranger. He was a spiky black haired guy in his late teens with his headband spiking his hair up. He had a familiar grin and had my hands loosely bound in one of his hands.

"Wow slow down there kitten!" The guy said amused. I calmed my heart down assuring myself that he was no psycho killer. I had let my imagination run away with me again. I knew it was _him _although I had never met him in my life, only through an old photo Asuma had and that was from some years ago. I felt silly now.

"I believe we aren't properly introduced. My name is..."

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**AN: Um that's it till I go find a name! Let me know what you think and who u think this guy is... He never comes in the show/ manga but we all know he existed :) Still looking for a Beta, so this chapter is unedited! **

**Review**


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